frankness

Examples of frank in a sentence

<our ballet teacher is very frank about telling her students whether she thinks they have the talent for a career in dance>

Did You Know?

The word frank comes from the name of the Franks, a West Germanic people who lived long ago. In the early Middle Ages the Franks were in power in France. (It was from them that the country got its name, in Latin Francia.) The Franks eventually merged with the earlier Gaulish and Roman inhabitants, and their name (Francus in Latin) lost its ethnic sense and referred to any inhabitant of Francia who was free, that is, not a slave or bondman. As an adjective, francus came to mean simply “free.” From the English adjective frank, which means “free” or “forthright,” we get the verb frank, which means “to mark mail with an official sign so that it may be mailed free.”

Synonym Discussion of frank

frank, candid, open, plain mean showing willingness to tell what one feels or thinks. frank stresses lack of shyness or secretiveness or of evasiveness from considerations of tact or expedience <frank discussions>. candid suggests expression marked by sincerity and honesty especially in offering unwelcome criticism or opinion <a candid appraisal>. open implies frankness but suggests more indiscretion than frank and less earnestness than candid<open in saying what they think>. plain suggests outspokenness and freedom from affectation or subtlety in expression <plain talk>.

2

frank

verb

Definition of frank

transitive verb

1a: to mark (a piece of mail) with an official signature or sign indicating the right of the sender to free mailingb: to mail freec: to affix to (mail) a stamp or a marking indicating the payment of postage